The World is Bigger Than I Thought

A few months ago I signed up on dailymile.com to track my running. Today I checked out my training to date. 514 miles run to date. Not bad. 16 pounds burned. That explains much of my 25 pound weight loss. 1,031 TVs powered. Not sure how they figured that, since I was never hooked up to a TV. 290 donuts burned. Great, although pieces of pizza would be more relevant for me. .02 of the way around the world.

.02 of the way around the world?? Wow, that sure doesn't sound impressive. What a letdown. After four months of running 30-40 miles a week, three 20+ mile runs, and even once getting up at 3 a.m. to run 20 miles up a mountain, I'm only 2% of the way around the world. Damn.

Well, I guess it is a pretty big world. But, note to the people of dailymile.com: consider expressing miles relative to a small state, like Rhode Island. 20 times across Rhode Island is much more impressive than .02 of the way around the world.

Anyway, regardless of the meager amount of this world that I have traversed, I'm on the cusp of running my first marathon in 13 years. My long runs are over, and between now and December 11th I'll only run about 25 miles, so the chances of getting injured are pretty slim.

I started running seriously again about four months ago with a goal of running another marathon. I was tired of marathoning being one more thing that I used to do. My last serious attempt at a marathon was in 2003, but three weeks before the race I pulled a calf muscle and never recovered. This time, although there were various aches and pains and times I was sure a muscle would give in, my body always seemed to step up when called upon. Although I have a persistent dull ache in my left knee, it's nothing that will keep me from running 26.2 miles.

How will I do? I'm not sure. My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which will require a run of 3 hours and 30 minutes or less, or an 8 minute mile pace. I think the goal is attainable, but far from certain. Running that time will require great conditions, some good rest, and getting some spring back into my legs. I predict that at mile 20 I'll be in a position to get there. As always, the last six miles will determine the outcome of my marathon.

I haven't run a 3:30 marathon since 1992. Since then I've run off the equivalent of 3,654 donuts (and ate back all but three of them), powered a few thousand TVs, and run 20% of the way around the globe.

At the same time, 20% of my life has gone by. As John Denver sang "it's a long way from L.A. to Denver." It's also a long way from 29 to 47, at least for a runner.

Hopefully on December 11th I'll be able to turn back the clock a bit. Stay tuned. (I don't know why I write 'stay tuned,' because this blog has proven my theory than one can write a blog and hardly anyone will know about it).

Getting Closer

Not too many of my posts have been about the stated topic of this blog: my quest to run one more marathon (possibly two). I'll rectify this oversight with this post, as I know my fans and followers are on the edge of their seats. Especially my fans in Denmark, which after the United States boasts the second largest following of this blog. I've always had this impression that the populace of Denmark is terribly bored. That impression is now confirmed.

I've honed in on a marathon to run. It is the Thunder Road marathon which is being held in Charlotte, NC on December 11. I was hesitant to commit to a specific race, fearing that such a commitment would lead to injuries as I inevitably ignored the pains of my 47-year old body in my quest to stay on schedule. Now, I just fear entering the race since the fee is $95! For $95 there'd better be a Top Cat waiting for me at the finish line.

My training is going pretty well. I hooked up with the Davidson Area Running Team (D.A.R.T.) a few months ago. Having a group to run with has been a godsend for my running. I started out running 4-6 miles with them, and have steadily worked my way up to 20 mile runs. I've loved getting out early in the morning, frequently running with headlamps and other times by the light of the moon. Compared to some of the men and women in this group, I'm a novice. I've enjoyed progressing in my running and seeing others progress as well. I'm frequently out front on our training runs, but when race time comes I'm still the 'boy' who gets separated from the 'men' so to speak. These guys and gals have incredible stamina and can maintain a strong pace better than I.

The second marathon that I frequently allude to is the Boston Marathon. My goal is to qualify for Boston. I ran Boston in 1993, but I did so as a 'wildcat' together with my boss at the time. It was one of my most memorable races. Everything you've heard about the Boston Marathon is true, from the girls at Wellsley College (don't get any ideas; they just line up en masse on the course and cheer like crazy) to Heartbreak Hill. I finished in 3 hours and 35 minutes, about 10 minutes in front of my boss. A short while after finishing I was walking around and a lady came up to me and gave me a beautiful bouquet of a dozen red roses and told me I had the best legs she had seen all day. In Denmark they're bored; in Boston either blind or lacking for men with good legs. I wish I could find the photo I have of me in my space blanket holding the roses.

To officially qualify for Boston at the age of 47 I'll need to run a time of 3 hours and 30 minutes and 59 seconds or less. I've run marathons that fast three times before, but all before the age of 35. It's a bit harder now.

To put it in perspective, 3:30 for a marathon is an 8-minute mile pace. On my last long training run I ran 20 miles in an 8:09 pace, so I'm encouraged. That day I ran solo. Charlotte's a tough, hilly course, but with the excitement of the race and thousands of other runners I think I can manage an 8 minute pace.

There are about six weeks left until December 11. This weekend I'll run another 20-miler, and if all goes to plan I'll run 22 or 23 miles around November 20, then I'll taper down my mileage for the last 3 weeks. I'm getting kind of excited just writing about it. Perhaps I should blog about sex.

Many things can happen though. The last time I seriously trained for a marathon was around 2003, and a month prior to the race I ran 23 miles at a pace that was faster than the Boston qualifying pace at the time. I thought I had it in the bag, but the next week I severely pulled a calf muscle and never recovered. I'm taking it a bit easier this time, and waiting until the actual marathon to run the time I need.

The attached photo is of Fisher Farm Park in Davidson, NC. I love running through Fisher Farm. There's a nice stream, woods, meadows, you name it. A great place to run early in the morning. I highly encourage you to check it out.

I've Never Met Stephen Spada, But I Don't Like Him!

This past weekend I ran the 'Run for Green' half-marathon in Davidson, NC. I've run this race three or four times now. It's a pretty challenging course. As I often tell people, you never know how hilly Davidson is until you run 13.1 miles of it. I also say things like "the person who laid out this course is clearly not a runner." These things are mildly funny.

If you read my prior post, you'll know I just turned 47. And, if you read another previous post, you'll know that I ran a 5K race in summer 2010 in the exact same time I ran a 5K in summer (well, late spring) 2008. Honestly, I think only nine people at most have read my posts, so most likely you have not read these posts (unless you're my one and only follower, Autumn (thank you, Autumn)). There's another post about how this blog is a test of the theory that one can blog and absolutely noone will care.

Anyway, I ran the half-marathon in one hour, forty-three minutes, and nine seconds. In 2008 I ran the same course just 41 seconds faster than this year. Actually, in 2007 I ran the course over three minutes SLOWER than this year. I'm getting faster.

Of course, at 47 I have no chance of winning this thing. Last year the half-marathon was won by a 15 year old. This year the 5K was won by an 18 year old, and the first place female in the 10K was ONLY 13! According to some research, probably done at MIT or Harvard, the peak running age is 27 (coincidentally, I ran 15 minutes faster for a 1/2 marathon when I was 27 - that will be the subject of a future post).

This brings me to Stephen Spada. And Bobby Aswell (who I know a bit from the Davidson Area Running Team). Stephen Spada is 45. Bobby Aswell is 47. These two guys won the half-marathon and 10K races, respectively. What's up with that? It's not possible. They must have pulled a Rosie Ruiz. That's the only explanation for their victories. The other possible explanation is that they're better runners than I.

You might think I'm happy that a fellow middle-ager won a race. Well.....I am. Congratulations Stephen and Bobby!

You Cannot Be Serious

I turned 47 a few days ago. I'm not saying I'm Jack LaLanne or anything, but I do run 14 (and increasing) miles at a time and keep myself in pretty good shape. Historically, if anyone expresses surprise at my age it's because they think I'm a few years younger than I am. I don't think I look like I'm 35, but maybe I could pass for 40. Or at least 44.

So much for that. First of all, banks suck. Especially big corporate banks. But that's another story. Today I was looking at my bank statement online and I noticed a $10 service fee for the use of our overdraft protection. Then I noticed another $10 fee. Then another. Thirty dollars in overdraft protection fees in a week! We've had overdraft protection for fifteen years, use it often, and have never been assessed a fee.

I know, we shouldn't need overdraft protection. But it's there, and sometimes in kicks in. I own my own business, and I don't have my paycheck set up on direct deposit. I pay myself when I get around to it (frequently when I get an overdraft protection notice in the mail). I know, I'll try harder.

Anyway, I was really pissed when I saw those service fees! I was sure we'd received some letter disguised as junk mail and there was some notification about it, but come on, this is 2010 and why don't they e-mail these things?? Or blog about it?

So I took my indignant self down to the Davidson branch of Wachovia. When I walked through the door I noticed a small sign "still #1 in customer satisfaction." 'Not for long' I thought to myself.

The 30ish customer service rep motioned me into her cubicle and asked if she could help me. I'm sure she wished she hadn't asked. I was polite, but I firmly recited my objections to the fees and the way they notify customers of changes to the fee structure (I even threw in something about the Pony Express being out of business).

I could tell I was going to get nowhere. Finally I asked if there were any ways to avoid these fees (other than being a bit more on the ball with our checking account balance), thinking that perhaps if we maintained a higher balance in our money market or put our kids up as collateral we'd qualify for some type of free (as if anything is really free) checking.

This is where I got really mad. The customer service person looked at me - admittedly a bit sheepishly as if she knew she was potentially about to put her foot in her mouth - and said "well, you might consider the 'Crown Classic' account. If you keep a $1,000 balance in all of your accounts, there are no fees." Well, that sounded good to me, so I said I was ready to sign up. "I'll just need to verify that you're at least 50" was the response.

You cannot be serious! Are you kidding me? 50? 5-0???? I mean, you really know how to make a guy feel good. A friend told me I should have said something like "when's your baby due?" as a comeback. Wished I'd thought of that one.

When I look in the mirror I don't see 50. Sure, I see tired at times, the hair is getting more silver in it, I'm not getting any younger. But I'm not 50, and I'm pretty sure that customer service rep knows it now. We ended our meeting with her suggesting that I watch my account more closely for the next 3 years, then come back and sign up when I reach senility and I won't have to worry about fees because there won't be any (I made up the senility part).

I guess I need to bring this back to running somehow. Since I picked up my running about 3 months ago, I've dropped 15 pounds. Yes, that's great. The only drawback is that my babyface is going away and being replaced by something gaunt and apparently aged. I told my wife this evening that I was either going to stop this running nonsense or get some Botox.

I can have it both ways.

The (Weight)ing Is The Hardest Part

An ad for a Wendy's Frosty (capitalized out of respect) motivated me to write this post. I saw it today, and immediately wanted to go get one. I didn't.

So, I should be happy about my restraint, right? No, not really. I mean, I really wanted it. I was lusting for it. Like Jesus said, if you lust after it, it's the same as doing it. So, sin committed, I should have got off my butt and driven down to Wendy's.

I don't really have a love affair with Wendy's. I do recall that after I finished my final final exam at Vanderbilt, I celebrated the end of my formal education by going to Wendy's, eating a triple cheeseburger, and then going back to my apartment and sleeping for 24 hours. But, when it comes to fast food I'm more of a McDonald's person. I especially like the salads. Just like I especially like the interviews in Playboy.

I'm weighing in just under 200 pounds now. Actually, I'm weighing in at just under 89 kilograms, having switched the scale to kilograms because double digits were more appealing than triple (there's that triple thing again). The downside of kilograms is that it's twice as hard to lose 1 kilogram compared to a pound.

Back in 1992, which I would consider my running prime, I typically weighed around 180. If I was really putting in the miles and eschewing the calories, I could get down to the high 160s.

So today I'm carrying around an extra 20 pounds. The obvious analogy is that I'm carrying a bowling ball around my stomach (and I would guess that most of my extra weight is in my stomach). It can't be good for my running. Or my knees.

My goal then for the rest of September and October is to lose 10 pounds, and get my weight down to about 85 kilograms. I'm going to start my diet in earnest tomorrow. Then I'm going to take a break on Saturday for my birthday, then I'm going to start again on Sunday.

Until then, I'll see you at Wendy's!

Major Mojo in the Morning!

This morning I ran for only the 2nd time in the last 10 days (see prior post about the groin injury). When I headed out the door at 5:45 the temperature was already at 77, a record even for this hottest of summers. I was not anticipating a great run.

I was wearing some new Brooks running shoes that I picked up at Omega Sports over the weekend (close out special of only $60, and tax free to boot). This was my first run in them, which gave me some encouragement.

The first mile from my home to our meeting spot at CVS was uneventful. It was pretty dark, which is a bit of a recent change.

Our running group (the Davidson Area Running Team) had 11 runners this morning. We ran the cross-country trails at Davidson College. Most of the trails are through the woods, which at this time of the morning were pretty dark. Without headlamps, trail running in the dark can be quite an adventure.

I had a very strong run. Perhaps it was the rest I've given my body this past week, or the excitement of trail running in the dark. We ran between a 7:30 and 7:45 pace for the 4 miles I was on the trail. For me, that's quite good, especially considering the hills of the cross country course.

The best thing about this morning's run is that I felt no pain in the groin. I'll still take it easy for a couple of weeks, and hope for a continued recovery. I've lost a couple of weeks in my training for perhaps one more marathon, but I'm encouraged by the reemergence of mojo this morning.

Steady On, Narcissist

I've always thought that if one can do tomorrow what they can do today, they'll never experience a physical decline. I know it doesn't always work out that way, but it seems to be an easy concept. I feel pretty strongly that my physical capabilities, limited as they are, will not diminish overnight. In fact, if I rest well and eat a good breakfast, they might even improve.

This evening I googled 'Rodney Graham Davidson NC' just to see what might be out there about me on the world wide web. Admit it, you've all done it. The first page was mostly items about my company, John Marshall Custom Homes, and some commentary that I've written on our local news site, DavidsonNews.net.

On the middle of the second page of results were two race results, both 5Ks. In May 2007 I ran the Town Day race in Davidson. At age 43 I finished in 22 minutes and 36 seconds. Three years later in June 2010, I ran a 5K in China Grove, NC. You can probably guess my time: 22 minutes and 36 seconds.

So, in just over 3 years I've held steady on my 5K times. Exactly. Of course, about 18 years ago I posted a 5K time of around 17:50, which equates to an average daily slowdown of 4/100ths of a second in my 5K time.

4/100ths of a second isn't much. From day to day it's imperceptible. But, over time it adds up. At this pace I'll be running about a 28 minute 5K when I'm 66, and 33 minutes when I'm 86. Actually, if I'm running at all when I'm 86 I'll be quite happy.

For now my goal will be to knock 4/100ths of a second per day off of my 5K time. Turn back the clock so to speak. My other goal is still to run another marathon (well, two actually).

Steady on!